Welcome to the Hog Blog, a blog chronicling minor-league baseball in the Lehigh Valley. Tom Housenick, The Morning Call's IronPigs beat writer, has been at The Morning Call since 2008. In a previous lifetime, he was at Lackawanna County Stadium in Moosic talking with future Phillies Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard, among many others.
He’ll now be spending his summers in search of who the Phillies are hoping to be the next Chase Utley and Cole Hamels plus any outfielder who catch and hit. What he really hopes to find are the next Mariano Rivera, Todd Helton and Jim Thome --- great human beings who happened to be great at this sport.
He spent the last five years covering Colonial League football, college basketball and high school track & field.

Just moments before the IronPigs game with Durham ended Tuesday night, word spread that Shane Victorino had left the game in Philadelphia with a strained oblique muscle.

Besides likely ending the Jayson Werth trade rumors, the news could also signal the departure of mega-prospect Domonic Brown from Coca-Cola Park if Victorino is placed on the disabled list.

Brown had two hits, including a go-ahead two-run triple, and is hitting 346 with 12 extra-base hits (six doubles, a triplle, five home runs) and 19 RBIs in 28 games (107 at-bats).

Victorino's injury led to the following post-game exchange between IronPigs manager Dave Huppert and five reporters ...

Question: If they came to you and asked you if Domonic was ready for the next level, out of necessity, what would you tell them?

Answer: I don't think Domonic would be the guy if someone went on the DL.

Q: Because...?

A: I don't think, unless he was going to, you know ... I don't think they want to start the clock with him ... I don't know. I think if it was gonig to be a few-day thing I think it'd be Mayberry.

Q: But if they just asked you, 'Is he ready?' what would you say?

Brown, who is hitting a combined .327 with 22 doubles, four triples, 20 homers and 68 RBIs in 93 games between Reading and here, was named the best prospects in Baseball America's mid-season evaulation. Most scouts and baseball people who have seen him believe he's ready to play in the major leagues.

But the Phillies may not agree, and Brown's arbitration/free agency clock doesn't seem to be a factor.

The rules are complicated, but it's believed that Brown, even if he were to join the Phillies today, wouldn't be considered a so-called "Super Two" for arbitration-eligibility (basically, players have to be in the majors three full years to become eligible for arbitration and six full years for free agency, but even if the player doesn't play a full season in hiis first year it could count if he meets the Super Two qualifications).

So if that's true, there's really no financial incentive for the Phillies not to bring him up.

However, at the moment Mayberry is on the 40-man roster, Brown isn't. The Phillies have two open roster spots. If they're going to make a trade this week it could be that they would want to keep those spots available in the event the deal would bring two or more 40-man players back.

Also, if Brown goes up the assumption is he will play every day. What then happens when Victorino returns? Phillies assistant general manager Chuck Lamar has said repeatedly, to me and countless other inquirers, that when Brown finally does arrive at Citizens Bank Park the Phillies want it to be for good.

If Mayberry is selected he would fill a bench role with Ben Francisco and Russ Gload splitting time, and then return to the IronPigs when Victorino gets healthy.

Then again, given the super-secret way the Phillies like to do things, one might read something into the fact that for one of the few times since his arrival Brown was nowhere to be found when the media entered the IronPigs clubhouse after Tuesday's game, although he might a) been told to exit quickly just so he wouldn't have to answer questions, or b) decided on his own he didn't want to answer questions.

Victorino will be examined Wednesday, and it could very well be that he just needs a day or more of rest and treatment. But whatever the verdict, the next 24 hours will be fun to watch -- and could be the dawn of a new era for the Phillies.

Why did they bring in Mathieson tonight for the 9th after he pitched two innings last night and Bastardo did not pitch at all Monday night? It would seemed only logical that Bastardo would pitch the ninth for the save tonight not to mop up.

Posted By: Dull | Jul 27, 2010 10:49:24 PM

Too soon. Send up Mayberry OR CHRIS DUFFY for what the Phillies need short-term. Save Brown for September or even 2011.

Posted By: Joe Hoffman | Jul 28, 2010 1:48:29 PM

Well, DB it is! "Fun to watch"? Nope; not any more. Brown was fun to watch. Now I don't get to see him at CCP. Selfish, I know...